


Picture Perfect

by HolyHogwartsAreYouFromGallifrey



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Beginnings, Choni Relationship, Developing Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Useless Bi-Sexual, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 23:41:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14725826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolyHogwartsAreYouFromGallifrey/pseuds/HolyHogwartsAreYouFromGallifrey
Summary: She’s breathtaking and Toni is absolutely enchanted and is just as absolutely sure she’s witnessing Cheryl in her natural habitat. The slight smile playing upon her sunlit lips undeniably transforms her into something lovely and ethereal. It’s the only word that comes close. Toni snaps a picture then zooms in and takes another. Doubting either picture will come anywhere close to capturing the beauty she is witnessing now. This vision under a willow tree. Silently she thanks all the gods who can hear her for her fortune to have her camera with her right now to encapsulate this moment.





	Picture Perfect

Betty and Jug had asked her to take some stock photos of the school and students for the Blue and Gold. This is how Toni Topaz finds herself wandering through campus with her camera using her lunch period to explore the school trying to find inspiration in such a mundane task. It’s not lost on her that Riverdale’s campus is architecturally beautiful. The Edwardian brickwork, columns and enormous spaces surpass Southside High’s tiny crumbling buildings in every way. There are so many nooks and crannies to discover she thinks incredulity. She never would have done this at Southside even if the school had all these little oasis’s hidden away on their campus. Some Ghoulie would have found her alone and likely jumped her or worse; Serpent retribution be damned. Toni could protect herself but she wasn’t foolish enough to set herself up to be put in that position. It’s a bit of a blessing and a curse their old high school was shut down.

She’d already taken shots of the atrium and some candid pics of students milling about. Then she had discovered the two quads complete with fountains, two courtyards and one hidden garden. It was all a little surreal for it just being a high school. It irritated her that these Riverdale students had no concept of the financial struggles the average high school faced when it came to limited space and supplies. Toni outwardly sighed but sent up a silent thanks to whatever lucky circumstance allowed her to be attending Riverdale for the foreseeable future. She wouldn’t waste her time here like some of these idiots would.

Cutting behind the art department she heads towards the music room. Pausing when she catches a glimpse of red as she walking past the opening of what appeared to be another tiny hidden alcove. Dipping back she walks toward the diminutive brick archway leading into the small area. Peering through the entryway Toni is surprised to see a tiny statue garden. Even more shocking is the vision propped against a willow tree. Cheryl Blossom is sitting alone and apparently sketching in an oversized black notebook. She can’t look away. Toni’s eye rove up and down the exquisite form. Her breath hitches at the sight before her.

Toni is utterly mesmerized by the way the sunbeams are falling across the girl's figure. The sun is creating a fiery orange halo twinkling around the rich redness of her hair as it falls over right shoulder. Her head is tilted down and to the side. The sunrays highlighting on Cheryl’s crimson lips accentuate their absolute need to be kissed passionately. The thought startles her. Toni’s heart flutters and she slowly exhales the breath she didn’t know she was holding. Her eyes follow the graceful movements of the redhead's slender hand moving rapidly over her page, noting mildly that Cheryl is left-handed. Toni could throw a rock at her and the girl probably even wouldn’t notice. Cheryl is completely absorbed in what she’s working on. Her coffee colored eyes are fixed in concentration on the oversized pad propped upon her long legs which are elegantly folded to the side. Occasionally her gaze flickers up to look at whatever she is drawing.

She wears a pin-up worthy white fifties style sundress. A thin red belt is cinching her waist and her bare feet are just sticking out from underneath its hem. Her signature cherry red pumps gleam in the sun. They’ve been placed neatly next to her on the brick outcropping which she definitely must have climbed up in order to prop herself against the willow tree like that. Toni chuckles to herself silently as she mentally pictures the reserved always proper even in her callousness redhead scaling a brick wall only to sit in the dirt with feet bare. It’s a delightful revelation and Toni finds herself marveling a little at the woman before her. She is certainly full of surprises, Toni muses. Cheryl is breathtaking. Toni is completely enchanted and is just as utterly sure she’s witnessing Cheryl in her natural habitat. The slight smile playing upon her sunlit lips undeniably transforms her into something lovely and ethereal. It’s the only word that comes close. Toni snaps a picture then zooms in and takes another. Doubting either picture will come anywhere close to capturing the beauty she is witnessing now. This vision under a willow tree. Silently she thanks all the gods who can hear her for her fortune to have her camera with her right now to encapsulate this moment.

Cheryl pauses lifting a pale hand to her lips. She swipes her thumb slowly back and forth across the plumpness of her bottom crimson lip. An elegant grin splits open her mouth in what looks like extreme satisfaction revealing perfect white teeth. Toni is absolutely envious of that thumb and the softness she is sure the touch of Cheryl’s lips would bring anyone who dare kiss them. In this moment Toni wants to be the one bold enough to try. Because as infuriating as that woman is, Toni’s also sure that this softness she is witnessing is probably closer to the real Cheryl. It leaves Toni a little dumbfounded. She wonders if anyone has ever truly seen this beautiful creature before. This unguarded woman before her who is tucking strands of scarlet hair behind her ear wearing the brightest smile is entrancing and absolutely lovely. Right then and there Toni decides that this is the Cheryl she will get to know. Instinctually Toni just knows this is the _real_ her and the curiosity behind the HBIC façade Cheryl normally portrays blooms.

Toni’s not sure if she should interrupt this moment by disturbing Cheryl. It could go either way but she doesn’t think she can let this chance pass her by. So walking forward into the courtyard she asks, “What are you doing?” Cheryl looks up sharply eyes roving over the pink-haired Serpent. She briskly snaps closed what Toni believes is her sketchbook. “Nothing you peasant. I _was_ trying to enjoy the sunshine but apparently that’s over now. Thank you so much Cha-Cha.” The redhead cheerily enunciates the last bit thick with sarcasm stuffing the notebook into her bag. Her face hardens and Toni can see the second the wall goes back up. _Well, shit._ Toni thinks internally rolling her eyes at the woman.

Gracefully Cheryl jumps down from the brick wall. The white sundress flaring a bit when she lands. The redhead shoots Toni a scowl before turning to stand on her tippy-toes and retrieve her cherry-colored pumps from the wall. Placing them delicately on the ground before her she then casually slips into the right heel but left is being difficult. Cheryl’s fiery hair falls forward obscuring her face behind a curtain as she uses her index finger to help guide the shoe onto her left foot. Her left hand goes out fingers splayed to steady herself against the brick wall.

Toni is once again struck by the beauty of her lines. How the colors she is wearing contrast beautifully with the brick background and the hue of her crimson hair. Cheryl’s head pops up at the sound of Toni’s camera shuttering. Toni slowly lowers the lens with a grin. “What are you doing with that camera? Are you stalking me?” She sounds affronted. Toni smiles at her. “Just capturing exquisite things that are meant to be appreciated.” Toni pointedly looks her up and down. Cheryl lets out disapproving sound but there is a slight pink dusting to her cheeks now. “Whatever vagrant. Just stop stalking me.” Cheryl tosses her flaming locks of hair while shouldering her bag. Then stalks away her head held high. “Well that went better than expected.” Toni states to no one smirking. Exiting the statue garden she continues in the opposite direction of the Blossom girl.

She’s a bit regretful about having messed with what must be Cheryl’s creative time. The fact that Cheryl even has creative time seems so out-of-character and Toni is intrigued. The girl certainly had layers for sure. She was already aware of that but now Toni is on a personal sleuthing mission to find out more about the paradox that is Cheryl Blossom. It probably wasn’t wise given their brief turbulent history. Toni thinks she’ll start by observing how many lunches Cheryl skips to draw in that notebook of hers. It kind of makes her sad because Toni’s pretty sure that she’s the only one who has ever noticed Cheryl is an artist. She wonders how many other things the everyday students of Riverdale High haven’t observed about their resident HBIC.

Toni tries not to think too much about why she suddenly needs to peel back the layers of the complicated redhead. Although she suspects it’s because of that light smile which briefly played over those scarlet kiss worthy lips earlier. _That_ Cheryl, she witnessed was radiant. Toni can’t help but feel like that light doesn’t get a chance to shine like it should. Maybe that is something Toni could help with? The Serpent questions herself. Why is she being so soft with her? Maybe it is better to ignore the spark which has ignited her interest? Ruefully she sighs. Already she knows it’s fruitless and that the red-haired vixen is going to be her undoing. Those legs and that smile… Toni can’t wait to find out the meaning behind the private smile on those cherry lips. The Cheryl paradox/project would have to be tabled for now though since the lunch bell is ringing. Toni hurries to her next class musing about how she might be able to capture that signature hair flip in her camera lens one day.


End file.
